According to a government official, hackers have defaced the Web site of Indonesia's information ministry in response to a government move to restrict access to pornographic material on the Internet. On Tuesday, Indonesia's parliament had passed a new information bill that criminalises the transmission of pornographic material on the Web. Under the law, anyone found guilty of transmitting pornographic material, false news or racial and religious hate messages on the Internet could face up to six years in prison or a fine of 1 billion rupiah ($109,000).

In response, hackers posted a message two days later on the information ministry's Web site (http://www.depkominfo.go.id) saying: "Prove that the law has not been made to cover government stupidity." The message was accompanied by a mocked-up photograph of a local information technology expert, who has been advising the government on the new law, depicted with a bare chest. The message has been removed and the Web site was now running normally, said Gatot Broto, an official at the ministry.